Los Al council extends public comment time

LOS ALAMITOS In a city where residents like to have their say, the question of when they should speak and how much they should speak came to a head this week.

For some time, a handful of residents active in civic affairs have been asking the City Council to change its public communications format, which now allows five minutes of public input at the beginning of each meeting and additional input during public hearings.

On Monday, after accusations that some speakers are disrespectful and unduly take up the city's time, the council came to a compromise: speakers would be allowed three minutes on each agenda item.

The compromise vote came after a majority of the council -- Poe and fellow council members Troy Edgar and Ken Stephens -- said they would not support increasing communications to five minutes on every topic. But Edgar appeared to extend an olive branch to Kusumoto, the council's newest member, and switched his vote when Kusumoto proposed an alternative motion of three minutes per agenda item.

"At some point...we need to find common ground," Edgar said.

Until this past election, the council has seen itself divided 4-1 on most major issues, with Councilwoman Gerri Graham-Mejia on the losing end. After Kusumoto joined the council, a new split appears to have divided 3-2, with Kusumoto and Graham-Mejia on the minority side for some issues, such as last month's decision to allow a major construction project at the local hospital.

Kusumoto said Tuesday that offering the public an opportunity to address matters as the council is considering them is the most logical approach, and one that is used by other groups, including previous Los Alamitos city councils.

"It's a good move toward good government," he said.

Council meetings in Los Alamitos often run late into the night. Some council members said they were concerned that extending the time allotted for comments makes the meetings too long and repetitive. They also complained meetings have been marked by personal attacks.

"I sit up here and just take it," said Edgar, who complained that the comments sometimes add up to disrespectful diatribe.

On Monday, the most direct personal attack from a resident was directed at supporters of Graham-Mejia and Kusumoto.

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